Even show-toughened exhibitors and trade visitors who have been coming to the Centre for years were astounded by the success of the 2000 edition of the Hong Kong Gifts and Houseware Fair and the Hong Kong Premium Show.

Welcoming 3,446 exhibitors from 41 countries and taking up a gross exhibition area of 74,000m², the combined fair smashed all previous attendance records with 54,595 trade visitors from 144 countries and regions - 18% up on the 1999 edition. The number of quality trade visitors from Asia soared by 32%.

This fair is now Asia's largest and the world's third largest of its kind. In its two part format it has been a highlight of the Centre's exhibition calendar since 1990, strongly affirming Hong Kong's reputation as a top Asian gift, premium and houseware sourcing centre.

Our experienced Centre staff are fully geared up to handle fairs on this scale, and we delight in providing all the customer service extras that help make for success. This year, it was clear though that a new formula was needed to pave the way for continuing growth.

Like most creative solutions, this new formula was simple. From 2001 on, the two parts will run one after the other instead of side by side, with only three days in between. That way, the Centre can offer the whole of its spacious exhibition area and dedicated services to each fair in turn, while exhibitors and buyers looking for maximum returns by getting involved in both can still do so.

There's another benefit. The organisers and sponsors seized the opportunity to take a fresh look at the concept behind these fairs, appreciating that, with increasing specialisation, the synergies have shifted. They rethemed each part to reflect the fact gifts and premiums have more in common with each other than with houseware.

The result is that, in 2001, the Centre will welcome this tried and tested fair in its new guise - the Hong Kong Houseware Fair (April 17-20) closely followed by the Hong Kong Gifts and Premium Fair (April 24-27).

The fresh new approach is a great sign for our future and the future of Hong Kong's robust economy, and we're delighted to be helping more exhibitors and more buyers than ever.